When you think of sales, you often think of a smooth talking salesman who somehow gets everyone to buy whatever they’re selling. Some may think it’s a gift, but to those in the know, sales is a skill that you can build on and improve. While there are many skills, tools, and tactics that anyone in sales can learn, one thing that is sometimes underestimated is product knowledge.

The Importance And Benefits Of Product Knowledge

Even if you and your company has set spiels for your salesforce to use when selling, intimate knowledge of what you sell can benefit your sales team in many different ways and the effects of that cascade down to the customer. Firstly, when a salesperson deeply understands what they’re selling, it gives them more confidence to go out and sell it. They can be more enthusiastic about the product when they know its ins and outs and are thus better able to communicate all the salient features and benefits to the consumer. This helps improve their overall demeanor when selling and can help close deals and generate sales.

One of the main bonuses of being well versed in the product is the ability to answer difficult questions. Your customers will have a range of different questions and clarifications about your product and being able to answer those questions not only educates them, but also builds trust. People are more likely to buy a product from a company or person who is an expert on it and is able to help and support them with it. This gives them the reassurance that if anything were to go wrong or if they needed anything more in the future, that assistance will be available to them. Understanding your products also helps you make a lasting impression. If you’re faced with a customer who’s asking questions about one product, you can already infer what kind of needs that customer has. So with the understanding of your range of products, not only can you answer their questions, but you can also recommend add-ons or even better products that will suit their needs. This creates a lasting positive experience between your brand and the customer, making repeat buyers out of what would have been a one-off sale.

How To train For Product Knowledge

Now that we know why you should be training for product knowledge, let’s get into how you can go about doing this. The most straightforward thing to do is to have your product team orient your sales team all about the product: how it’s made, how it works, how it’s different from the competition, unique features or customizability, finding support, and product road mapping. The product design team and sales should be in open communication so sales staff can mention upcoming upgrades or improvements to your products.

In order to reinforce learnings from orientations, put your team through certain activities to help them keep the facts in mind. Some courses on business coaching for small business suggest having your sales team read customer testimonials. Often these testimonials will highlight issues users have with the product so it can be a good mental practice for them to craft replies to these issues for when they have to do that with an actual customer. They can also get the general sentiment on what people like about the product so they know which features to push when selling.

Another method is having your sales team create product training videos. Not only will this help them remember all the facts about the product, it’s a useful way to practice how they pitch it to prospective customers.

Lastly, when possible, have your sales team try out and use the product themselves. People give higher regard to recommendations when they come from someone with first-hand knowledge of how the product actually performs. In addition, they may also find other non-standard ways or uses of the product that may be handy when convincing certain buyers.

Improve Your Sales With Coaching For Small Business

Training for product knowledge is just one of many different ways you can further improve your sales and your business. To help take your company to the next level, consider undergoing coaching for small business owners from a veteran marketing and sales coach like Shawn Tiberio. Learn different strategies for improving your sales performance including the proper mindset you should have for your salesforce and your whole company.